Limiting the number of international students at universities in the Netherlands has been a hotly-debated topic for quite a while now — but here’s how the Dutch actually plan to go about things. 👇
The hottest topic at the moment is Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf’s proposed Internationalisation in Balance Act.
The bill outlines various possible solutions to curb the growth of foreign students, the most important of which are listed below. 👀
Capping student numbers
In a letter to the Senate last month, Dijkgraaf pointed out the importance of introducing a numerus fixus on popular foreign-language courses.
What is a numerus fixus?
This is a quota on the number of students who will be accepted to popular degree programmes at Dutch universities.
In a bid to keep university education more accessible to countless Dutch students vying for a place amid the surge in international student numbers, many English-language courses may face quota restrictions.
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However, noting that the Netherlands “cannot do without international talent, whether for science, the labour market or the quality of the programmes themselves”, Dijkgraaf stresses that this isn’t an all-or-nothing decision.
Individual institutions will need to weigh the importance of numeri fixi and establish if “less drastic measures” could be implemented instead.
Promoting the Dutch language
With legal obligations to promote language skills to Dutch-speaking students faltering — and 7 in 10 foreign students expressing frustration at the language barrier when entering the job market — it’s clear that something needs to be done.
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However, it’s not all doom and gloom for us internationals.
In response to their findings, the government also intends to make educational institutions prioritise the promotion of Dutch language skills. (Yes, even to us internationals. 🥳)
This could make Dutch language courses more accessible to internationals, which we’ll never say no to!
What do you think of the new bill? Shoot us your thoughts in the comments below!